Apparatus for forming designs in nylon stockings



Oct. 3, 1950 E. F. SEEMULLER 2,524,604

APPARATUS FOR FORMING DESIGNS IN NYLON s'rocxmes Filed April 11, 1947INVENTOR.

BY Wfwflw q ATTORNt'Y.

'sults.

Patented Oct. 3 1950 APPARATUS FOR FORMING DESIGNS IN NYLON STOCKINGSElmer F. Seemuller, Philadelphia, Pa., assignor to Perforations, Inc.,Palmyra, N; J., a corporation of New Jersey Application April 11, 1947,Serial No; 740,779

3 Claims.

The object of this invention is to devise novel means for formingdesigns in nylon fabric.

A further object of the inventionis to provide novel means to enable themanufacturer, especially in the case of stockings, to permanently formin the stockings the number indicative of the gauge. The finer gaugesare more expensive, and the average retail purchaser has to depend onthe representations of the dealer as to gauge. The result of this isthat in some cases in order to obtain excessive profits the dealer hasthe goods marked with a higher'gauge. than the actual gauge of thegoods. The present invention discloses a practical apparatus for themanufacturer to employ to form in the fabric the number or designindicative of the proper gauge.

'A further object of the invention is to devise novel apparatus fordeforming or stretching selected loops or stitches by insertion of;points defining the number or design into them, and subjecting thedeformed loops or stitches to the action of heat to permanently setthem.

With the foregoing and other objects in view as will hereinafter clearlyappear, myinvention comprehends novel apparatus for forming designs innylon fabric.

For the purpose of illustrating the invention, I have shown in theaccompanying drawings a preferred embodiment of it which I have found inpractice to give satisfactory and reliable re- It is, however, to beunderstood that the various instrumentalities of which the inventionconsists canbe variously arranged and organized, and the invention isnot limited to the exact ar rangement and organization of theseinstrumentalities as herein set forth.

Figure l is a side elevation of an apparatus for forming designs inknitted or wovennylon fabric.

Figure 2 is a bottom perspective view, on an enlarged scale, of a maledie.

Figure'3 is a perspective view, on an enlarged scale, of a female dieand a portion of its mountmg.

Figure 4 is a top plan view showing a portion of a fabric with a numeralindicative of the gauge formed therein.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts.

Referring to the drawings:

The apparatus has the general appearance of a press. A frame I of anydesired or conventional construction has a table or article support 2secured to it by fastening devices 3. The table at its forward end ischambered at 4 to receive a fastening devices 6. The female die hasapertures or openings 1 arranged to define the particular number orother design which has been selected.

A lever 8 has one end pivotally connected with the frame at 9, and isnormally retained in its raised position by a spring It) disposedbetween the lever and the frame. The forward end of the lever 8 isoperatively connected to a shoe II as at 12 to effect the raising andlowering of such shoe which latter travels in vertical guides in. thehead of the frame, the guides being shown at l3.

An electric heater l4 having any desired type of temperature control isprovided with a conductor I5 which is connectible to a source ofelectric supply, and its side wall It has the shoe H connected to it inany desired mannen.

A male die I! has a cover plate l8 fixedto its upper end byscrews IS.The male die ll-has points-20 depending from its bottom and arrangedtoconform in outline to the openings of the female'die.

Themale die is detachably connected with the heater by brackets 2| or inany other desired manner.

The operation will now be apparent to those skilled in this art and isas follows:

Assuming that the dies are in position, the article to which the designis to be applied is placed over the female die and stretched out in aflat condition. In the case of a stocking, it is slipped .over the table2 into position over. the female die. A foot treadle is presseddownwardly to move downwardly a connection 22 connected with the lever8, thereby moving downwardly the heater and the male die carriedthereby.

The points 20 pass through loops or stitches to deform or stretch them,and the heat from the heater acting through the points permanently setsthe loops or stitches.

The design can be applied to the fabric in the Greige state before orafter preboarding or in the finished fabric.

The design may be in the form of a letter, number, word, pictorialillustration or other insignia.

If it is desired to have the design colored, the coloring material isapplied to the pointed members in any desired manner, for example by abrush, pad or color transfer device, manually or mechanically operatedor by electrically controlled mechanism.

If the pointed members carry color material, the color will be appliedto the selected loops as the pointed members pass through such loops toexpand them.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. In an apparatus for forming in a, nylon stocking a permanentidentifying design, the combination of a flat female die with a seriesof holes distributed over a two-dimensional area in a pattern accordingto the desired identifying design, a framework supporting said femaledie, said female die being arranged in overhanging relation to theframework to permit the open end of the stocking to be telescoped overthe die for the formation of the design in one thickness only of thematerial, a cooperating male die comprising a series of sharply pointedneedles arranged in the same pattern and having their points terminatingin a common plane and tapered to a size larger than the openings in thestocking formed by the loops, means for operating one of said diesrelatively to the other to cause the needles, all at the same time, toenter the holes of the female die, said needles by such operation beingcaused to penetrate the single thickness of material placed flatly uponthe female die and by direct contact with the loops through which theypass to produce a series of loop enlargements conforming to theaforesaid pattern. and means for heating the loops during the needlepenetrating period to a temperature at which the nylon composing thestocking is set to set said loops in their enlarged condition andthereby form and perpetuate the desired identifying design.

2. In an apparatus for forming in a nylon stocking a permanentidentifying design, the combination of a fiat female die formed with aseries of holes distributed over a two-dimensional area in a patternaccording to the desired identifying design, a framework supporting saidfemale die, said female die being arranged in overhanging relation tothe framework to permit the open end of the stocking to be telescopedover the die for the formation of the design in one thickness only ofthe material, a cooperative male die comprising a series of sharplypointed needles arranged in the same pattern, having their pointsterminating in a common plane and tapered to a size larger than theopenings formed by the loops, means for operating one of said dies withreference to the other to cause the needles, all at the same time, toenter the holes in the female die, said needles by such operation beingcaused to penetrate the single thickness of material placed flatly uponthe female die and by direct contact with the loops through which theypass to produce a series of loop enlargements conforming to theaforesaid pattern, and electrical heating means to maintain the needlesat a temperature at which the nylon composing the stocking is set to setthe loops in their enlarged condition during the needle penetratingperiod and thereby form and perpetuate the desired identifying design.

3. In an apparatus for forming in a nylon stocking a permanentidentifying design, and wherein the loops of the stocking definepreformed openings, the combination of a female die formed with a seriesof holes distributed over a two-dimensional area according to a desiredpattern of an identifying design, a cooperating male die comprising aseries of needles to enter holes in the female die and tapered to a sizelarger than the preformed openings formed by the loops, said female diehaving one end unsupported to permit the open end of a stocking to betelescoped over it for the formation of the design in one thickness onlyof the material of the stocking, means for operating one of said diesrelatively to the other to cause the needles to enter the holes of thefemale die, said needles by such operation being caused to penetrate thesingle thickness of the stocking and by direct contact with the loopsthrough which they pass to produce a series of loop enlargementsconforming to the aforesaid pattern, and means for heating the loopenlargements during the needle penetrating period to a temperature atwhich the nylon composing the stocking is set to set the loops in theirenlarged condition and perpetuate the desired identifying design.

ELMER F. SEEMULLER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 681,121 Hudson Aug. 20, 19011,157,754 Benjamin Oct. 26, 1915 1,191,939 Bazzoni July 25, 19161,613,766 Parcher Jan. 11, 1927 1,771,399 Christophel July 29, 19302,213,797 Claussner Sept. 3, 1940 2,244,550 Chandler June 3, 19412,251,282 Huizeng Aug. 5, 1941

